For Sixth Consecutive YearIn its 2011 report, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) declared Venezuela free from illicit drug cultivations for the sixth consecutive year.

“We have been evaluated and we have achieved this very important milestone regarding the struggle against drug trafficking. Venezuela is a territory free from illicit drug cultivations,” underscored Tareck El Aissami, Venezuela’s Minister for Interior and Justice.

“Indeed, Venezuela is not even labeled as a transiting country anymore, thanks to the policies implemented by the government. We’re waging a frontal, determined and tireless battle [against drug trafficking], with the support of the Bolivarian National Armed Forces and the entire country,” he pointed out.

Moreover, the report, published June 24, shows that Venezuela ranks fifth globally in terms of quantity of drugs seized, amounting to four percent of all drug seizures, the majority of them cocaine.

“Venezuela is not a drug-producing country and we are not even considered a drug-consuming country, either” highlighted El Aissami.

He noted that five tons of high-purity cocaine were seized on June 25, bringing to 22 tons the total volume of drugs seized so far in 2011.

“Sixty percent of the drug has been seized by the Bolivarian National Guard,” he detailed.

Finally, he highlighted that Venezuela is one of the countries that has focused on implementing “clear and strong” policies to prevent drug consumption: “Never before Venezuela had been recognized with such concrete achievements, nor has it stood out as a country of reference in the battle against drugs,” he underscored.